If you have an interview with Deloitte, KPMG, E&Y, or PWC, there are afew rules that you should follow to greatly increase your odds at acing yourinterview and receiving that pretty offer letter for either an internship orfull-time employment.  These firms have been rated by BusinessWeek yearafter year as the “Top Places to Launch a Career.”  Because these are suchgreat places to work, Big 4 interviews are extremely competitive and interviewcandidates must take all the necessary steps to prepare themselves to havesuccess during the interview.  Here are interviewing tips, essentialrules, that should be obeyed to help you ace your big 4 interview and receivean offer.

Rule 1: Use Non-Verbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is highly underrated by many interviewers andconsequently costs may offers they otherwise might have gotten.  Considerthe impact of one UCLA study which revealed that up to 93% of communicationeffectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues.  The break down is asfollows:

7% Actual words chosen

38% Vocal communication technique

55% Non-Verbal Communication

Thats right, how you say it is worth more than what you say inmany instances.  That doesn’t mean your responses can be sub-par but itdoes mean that you can greatly increase the effectiveness of the messages yourconveying to the interviewer by using non verbal cues.

Why is this important? By increasing the effectiveness of your communicationyou will make your responses more meaningful and more memorable to theinterviewer.  In other words: You will stick out above othercandidates.

The best way to do this is use facial expressions and nodding to show goodlistening etiquette.  You can also use subtle (emphasis on subtle) handgestures.  You will want to use pauses to separate ideas just like youwould use a comma if you were to write them down.  The tone of your voiceis critical.  You want to sound excited and enthused about the experiencesyou are sharing which will in turn get the interviewer excited about what youtell them.  Plus they want to see your excited about the opportunity towork for them

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Be careful because “Bad” nonverbal communication can hurt you, like poorposture and body language.  It can also make you seem untrustworthy if youare saying one thing, and your nonverbal communication says another.  Whenverbal and nonverbal messages conflict, you seem less genuine.

Here is a great, more detailed article of how to impress Big 4 interviewerswith nonverbal communication:

http://www.big4interview.com/?p=233

Rule 2: Have Thoughtful Questions to Ask theInterviewer

Big 4 interviewers expect you to have questions to ask them during aninterview.  You 100% must have questions thoughtfully prepared to ask yourinterviewer.  You do not want to have general questions that apply to anyjob that seem like you pulled them off the internet.  Have specificquestions about opportunities that the firm has to offer that are of interestto you.  Do you like community service?  Well so do all Big 4firms.  You tell your interviewer you’re interested in getting involvedmore in the community and want to find out about the opportunities they havethat you can become a part of.  Better yet, research specific communityservices opportunities at the firm and ask more detailed questions bout aparticular one thats of interest to you.  The interviewer will beimpressed that you have identified opportunities at their firm, and that youare already interested in taking advantage of them.

Be careful to avoid asking questions about other firms, or about informationthat could otherwise be found out with the adequate amount of firm researchthat all interviewers should be doing.  This will highlight that you areunprepared!

Interview questions to ask the interviewer are a great way to differentiateyourself and stand out.  But don’t ask questions that you should alreadyknow the answers to!

Rule 3: Do Not Respond with Opinions & Theories

A lot of interviewers don’t prepare enough before their interview and end upgetting a question that they don’t have a predetermined response for.  Farto often, they end up replying with their opinion on a particular situation orwhat they would do in that situation.  The interviewer could not careless what you would do.  They want to see what you did do.  Theywant to see how you behaved in similar situations to the ones you will beencountering at your future position.  The theory is that the bestpredicator of future success is how you behaved in past situations.  Youwill receive 0 interview points for a response based off opinion or theory,unless that is what the interviewer specifically asked for.  The best andonly way to avoid a situation where you don’t have a response, is to practicecommonly asked interview questions.  Prepare, prepare, prepare.  Thatis the key to a successful interview.

You can find many more interviewing tips & techniques for interviewswith the Big 4 at

www.Big4interview.com

This is the first in a serious of posts about interviewing rules for Big 4firms.  If you have an interview with Deloitte, and interview with PWC, aninterview with KPMG, or an interview with E&Y, then leave a comment belowon what is your biggest fear or frustration with the interview process and wewill address it in our next article.

Until then, happy interviewing & remember to check out more resources tohelp ace your Big 4 interview at www.big4interview.com